The Scotsman quiz of the year

Pauline Cafferkey. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

Sadly Departed

1 He passed away in April and is the only singer to have represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest two years in succession. Who was he?

2 He starred as Sherif Ali and Nicky Arnstein in 1960’s movies and was born, Michel Dimitri Chalhoub. He died in July and was better know by what name?

Agyness Deyn in Sunset Song. Picture: The Kobal Collection

3 Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier departed to the great kennel in the sky, but in which Oscar winning film did he feature?

4 ‘The world was his lobster’ and his TV career proved to be a, ‘nice little earner’. Who was he?

5 Which writer, often described as the, ‘godfather of Tartan noir’ died at the end of the year?

6 Christened ‘The Queen of Technicolor’, she was named ‘Irish American of the Year’ in 2005 and died in October. Who was she?

7 ”It ain’t over till it’s over.” was one of the most famous quotes attributed to him. Who was this former baseball star?

8 Her sister starred in two films of her books and she passed away aged 77 in Beverly Hills. Who was she?

9 He died aged 93 and was the ‘elegant, umbrella- wielding star of The Avengers’. Who was he?

10 He was killed on the 1st July aged 13 in the Hwange National Park. What was his name?

Business News

1 Which Canadian based company, the subject of an attack by hackers, told its customers that, ‘Life is short. Have an affair’?

2 Why did news of improperly fitted ECU’s cause a company’s share price to decline by 20% the following day?

3 After 110 years, whose empties will no longer fetch 30p?

4 Which British retailer posted record breaking annual losses of £6.38 in April?

5 National Geographic magazine was sold to which American corporation?

6 Which UK chain opened its first store in Boston in 2015?

7 What is the name of the multinational steelmaking company which announced the closure of two plants in Scotland with the loss of 270 jobs?

8 In May, which transport company announced that its service was now available in 58 countries and 300 cities?

9 Which company paid as much tax in 2015 as it did in its first 15 years of operation in the UK?

10 The FTSE’s highest closing value of the year was on the 27th April. What was the figure it peaked at?

Sports News

1 Who, in April, broke the record held by Ian Botham to become England’s top Test-wicket taker of all time?

2 Serena Wlliams won three out of the four of the year’s Grand Slams. Who won the other?

3 Which Scot won his first PDC World Championship in January beating Phil Taylor in the final?

4 Who was Scotland’s top points scorer at the Rugby World Cup and how many did he score?

5 Against which team did Scotland’s women’s football team record a 10-0 victory in November?

6 In May, which Peebles born showjumper became the first rider to win show jumping’s Rolex Grand Slam?

7 Which player ended the year as the world number one in the official world golf rankings?

8 Which team won the Super Bowl in February?

9 Who wrongly applied Law 11.7?

10 The Camanachd Cup was won for only the second time in their history by which club?

Entertainment

1 What was the title of the documentary which was the fourth in the series and was set in Willows High School?

2 ITV News apologised to Sir Lenny Henry after mixing him up in a TV montage with whom?

3 Mark Rylance played the part of which person in the acclaimed Wolf Hall?

4 In which series did Kayleigh and John travel to and from work in John’s Fiat 500L?

5 Who was the first personality to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing?

6 In February, Sam Smith won a Grammy for ‘Song of the Year’. What was the song?

7 Will MacDonald had not been seen on screen since December 2000 but he made a comeback in 2015 with the return of which show?

8 What was the title of One Direction’s first single release without Zayn Malik?

9 Who was named by Forbes as the highest paid TV actor for the year?

10 The opening music, titled, ‘Did I make the Most of Loving You?’ of which drama was heard for the last time Christmas day?

Scots and Scotland

1 Pauline Cafferkey recovered twice from which disease in 2015?

2 Who was created Baroness of Mayfair in September?

3 What did engineer, Robert McCulloch find in December?

4 Who was the Scot who captained the Great Britain Davis Cup team?

5 Which Scottish resort was the first to welcome 15 Syrian families?

6 For the first time in a decade, a Scottish band won the World Pipe Band Championships. What is their name?

7 Which pop band will play together again in December for the first time since 1978?

8 Which position is held by the Rev Dr Angus Morrison?

9 In what was 34% deemed to be a pass?

10 Which 66 year old broadcaster married 44 year old Susan Nilsson in August?

Movie Matters

1 In which film did Tom Hardy play a Soviet security officer on the track of a child killer in 1950’s Russia?

2 Which movie was classed as a ‘stylish reboot of a 1960’s TV show’?

3 Eddie Redmayne won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of which person?

4 Published in 1932 by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, which novel was made into film in 2015?

5 Robert Redford took on the role of which writer in the film, A Walk in the Woods?

6 By what soubriquet was the 21st October known?

7 Which film was described as a “buoyant, sweet-natured comedy” about a girl controlled by five different mood-entities?

8 Tom Hardy played the part of two brothers in which gangster movie?

9 What was the title of the seventh instalment of the main Star Wars film series?

10 Cameron Diaz was the recipient of which award for her appearance in Sex Tape, The Other Woman?

Celebrity News

1 What was banned at this year’s Cannes Film Festival?

2 Who lost his job after reputedly punching Oisin Tymon?

3 Who was perhaps the most famous visitor to the Social Bite Cafe in Edinburgh this year?

4 Who replaced the Foo Fighters in June?

5 How did Chris the sheep make the news in September?

6 Who danced for the last time in the UK at the Wembley Area in July?

7 He started the year as Bruce but by what name did she end the year?

8 Footballer Gerard Pique and his wife celebrated the birth of their daughter, Sasha but what is the name of his celebrity wife?

9 Actor Aidan Turner, who caused a sensation when he appeared shirtless, featured in which historical drama?

10 Who was the former Apprentice star who was crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2015?

Stateside

1 Who replaced Scot Craig Ferguson as the permanent host of The Late Late Show?

2 Of what crime was Dzhokhar Tsarnaeev convicted in April?

3 What did South Carolina vote to ban in July?

4 Where can some Americans expect to see a black shaded triangle around a white salt shaker?

5 On September 24 who addressed a joint session of Congress?

6 Where in August was the American flag raised for the first time since 1961?

7 What did Charlie Sheen disclose in an interview on NBC’s Today show?

8 Which chain of wireless and electronic stores filed for bankruptcy?

9 At the beginning of March, 50th anniversary events began which commemorated the historic voting rights march from where in Alabama to Montgomery?

10 It was announced in June that what would be banned from all Disneyland and Disney World theme parks?

Science and Technology

1 What was the name of the NASA space probe which sped past Pluto in July?

2 What 2015 initiative was deemed to start with Abigail and finish with Wendy?

3 What was announced on September 9, 2015 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco by Tim Cook?

4 Where, in April, did a magnetic levitatyion train set a new speed record of 374 mph?

5 What new addition did Mark Zuckerberg say Facebook hoped to introduce in the future?

6 Where did astronaut Tim Peake blast off from on his journey into space?

7 What was the name of the aircraft which set a new record for the world’s longest solar-powered flight?

8 What was the name of the small computer which was given away for free with the print edition of a computer magazine?

9 What was the name of the personal computer operating system released by Microsoft?

10 Which video game series was reckoned to be one of the most successful ever when it was revealed in September that it had sold more than 220 million units?

The Arts

1 Sunny Afternoon won four awards at the Oliviers and was based on the music of which group?

2 An exhibition of which Dutch artist’s work ran in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art during the autumn?

3 Which actress reprised Barbra Streisand’s role of Funny Girl in the new West End production?

4 During the Edinburgh Fringe, what comprised the Lafayette and the Beauty?

5 In the ‘theatrical event of the year’, who played the part of Hamlet at the Barbican theatre?

6 The Victoria and Albert museum ‘politely declined’ the offer of whose clothes for display?

7 Who returned to the London stage in the production of Photograph 51?

8 James McAvoy stared in a new production of Peter Barnes’s award winning satire in January. What was it called?

9 The Shepherd’s Crown was published six months after the death of its author. Who was he?

10 An exhibition of paintings by artists such as JMW Turner, James Abbott McNeil Whistler and Philip Wilson Steer went on display during the summer in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The works were some of the finest examples of which medium?

Quotes of 2015

1 Who, in July, said, “I am the only 20 year old in the whole of the UK who the Chancellor is prepared to help with housing.”?

2 Who said, “I’m so sorry” to Toki Sekiguchi?

3 In August who reportedly told the BBC, “There is no corruption in football”?

4 What collective noun did David Cameron use to describe the migrants trying to enter Britain through the Channel tunnel?

5 To whom did Alexander Carter-Silk send the message, “I appreciate that this is probably horrendously politically incorrect, but that is a stunning picture”?

6 ”Buzzing to be brought all the way up to Inverness with the team to sit in the stands today, lovely weather for it too” resulted in a two week suspension for which footballer?

7 Who told Jeremy Paxman in an interview, ‘Yeah no, I don’t vote’?

8 Who in October stated: “The United States of America is the one advanced nation on Earth in which we do not have sufficient common-sense gun-safety laws -- even in the face of repeated mass killings.”?

9 Who said that the dress worn by the German announcer giving Germany’s voting results at the Eurovision Song Contest “looked like a bit of a corrugated roof blew off and hit her on the neck.”?

10 ”So just to clarify, I did say we’d go to deadlock but unfortunately Monica you are going home I’m afraid.” Whose slip up led to a massive back pedal?

• Turn to page 21 in today’s paper to see how you fared